Morocco on Track for 2020 Renewable Energy Goals

Rabat - The production of electricity using renewable energy has reached 34 percent in 2017, according to the chairman of the Executive Board of the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), Mustapha Bakkoury.

Rabat – The production of electricity using renewable energy has reached 34 percent in 2017, according to the chairman of the Executive Board of the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (MASEN), Mustapha Bakkoury.

Morocco’s 2020 goals to increase the contribution of renewable energies to the production of electricity to 42 percent–52 percent by 2030–are on track.

“At the end of 2017, we are at 34 percent capacity produced from renewable sources,” said Bakkoury at the end of one working session presided over by King Mohammed VI at the Royal Palace in Casablanca.

The 2018 solar program will markedly extend the Noor Laayoune I and Noor Boujdour I plants to bring them up to the 2020 desired capacities.

The director has also announced that the “large project of Midelt” is advancing in very good conditions, and that the construction of solar power plants will start no later than early 2019.

In terms of wind energy, he said that 2018 will see the commissioning of plants that will produce capacities of around 300 megawatts, as well as the launch of new projects, notably in Midelt and Taza, “which are expected to reinforce the 42 percent target for 2020.”

Bakkoury continued to say that several agreements signed with African countries will gain momentum this year, with the aim of strengthening the dynamics of South-South partnerships.

These agreements will allow, in addition to the exchange of expertise, the co-development of projects to the reinforce the economic development of the continent.